Qpad QH-90 review

Qpad QH-90 Review

We haven't had a Qpad product in for review here at bit-tech yet, so we didn't really know what to expect of its new £85 QH-90 gaming headset. We've been provided with a white sample, but a black version is also available. It's on the more expensive side of things, but quality comes at a price and if Qpad can deliver where it counts it will be on to a winner.

As well as a detachable microphone, Qpad also provides a drawstring bag for transport purposes and a host of cabling to cater for your specific connectivity needs. The 1m fixed cable leads to a standard pair of TRS 3.5mm jacks. You're also provided with a 2m extension lead, a separate in-line controller and an adaptor to a single TRRS 3.5mm jack for use with devices like smartphones that carry stereo and microphone signals over a single connection.

Initial impressions of the headset are very positive. The aluminium chassis not only looks and feels great, but allows the QH-90 to be flexible and light yet sturdy overall. Both the padding and its leather coating on the headband and around the ear cups feel soft and superior. Even the plastic on the ear cups is solid and has a pleasant soft touch finish, while the exposed wiring around the back is braided to a high standard.

Click to enlarge

The large circumaural closed-back ear cups are big enough to cover all but the biggest of ears with ease, and the QH-90 clamps down on your head with near perfect pressure, and along with the light aluminium and soft headband padding this means it's a supremely comfortable headset. It's at least as comfortable as the excellent Asus Vulcan, if not more so. Long sessions lead to no more than a slight warming or your ears, and the cups offer attenuation of ambient noise that's also on par with the Vulcan, although there's no active noise cancellation.

The ear cups can turn side to side and tilt up and down, so finding a good fit shouldn't be an issue. You can also extend their length via notches on the inner side of the headband, and they're neither too easy nor too difficult to adjust. While this is naturally not as secure as the thumb cap based adjustment of the BlackShark, it does feel more stable than the folding ear cups of the Vulcan.

Friends reported our voices as clear through the detachable microphone, and background noise was never a problem in Skype calls. The microphone clips in securely via a 3.5mm jack and has a big foam windshield to help combat breathing sounds. The mic's flexibility is impressive, as you can twist it a lot before it tries to return to its previous shape. Meanwhile, the supplied plastic in-line controller also has a soft touch coating, with a volume wheel on one side and microphone mute switch on the other. There's also a button to play and pause music when connected to an iPhone, for example, but the button is rather flimsy and got stuck a few times in use.

Click to enlarge

The QH-90's sound comes from a pair of 53mm drivers, which are fairly hefty compared to the 40mm ones found in the Vulcan, for example. Large drivers do not necessarily equate to great sound, however, but in this case they do, as sound across the spectrum is crisp and accurate. The headset is particularly impressive when it comes to high-end production, as in music the sounds of even the softest hi-hats are clear.

Thanks to solid performance in the low and mid-ranges, the excellent high-end doesn't become tinny. The bass lacks just a tad of punch and isn't as powerful as we're used to from gaming headsets, so while the Vulcan has the advantage here, the QH-90's bass is far from underwhelming and it actually has the better balance of sounds overall. Though you're unlikely to want to push it to full volume, there's minimal distortion if you do and noise leakage is likewise pleasingly low.

Conclusion

With its excellent build quality, comfort and sound quality, as well as a host of simple but useful connectivity options, the Qpad QH-90 is a headset that ticks practically every box. You can currently buy an Asus Vulcan for around £15 less, which is still a great purchase, but even so Qpad's headset is fairly priced, and fully justifies its award.